Table of contents

Why media files in WordPress go blank1. Check and fix file permissions2. Deactivate plugins to find conflicts3. Switch to a default WordPress theme4. Clear your browser and WordPress cache5. Disable lazy loading temporarily6. Regenerate thumbnails7. Check your .htaccess file and hotlink settings8. Increase your PHP memory limit9. Contact your hosting provider10. (Bonus) Check for mixed content if using HTTPSNext stepsAdditional resources

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WordPress Guide → Errors → Media Files Went Blank

Solved: WordPress media files went blank

If your WordPress Media Library is suddenly showing blank thumbnails—or no images at all—you’re not alone. This common issue can stop you from uploading or displaying media across your entire site.

Let’s fix that. Below is a detailed guide with every tested solution for getting your images back—starting with the most likely causes.

Why media files in WordPress go blank

When your media files go missing or appear blank, the actual image files are usually still on the server. But something is preventing WordPress from displaying them properly in the dashboard or on your live site.

Some of the most common causes include:

Wrong file or folder permissions
Conflicting or outdated plugins
A broken or incompatible WordPress theme
Browser or server-side caching issues
Lazy loading settings interfering with image previews
Corrupt thumbnails or image sizes
A corrupted .htaccess file
SSL/mixed content errors
PHP memory running too low

You may only need to try one or two fixes—or go down the list to solve the problem. Here’s what to do.

1. Check and fix file permissions

WordPress needs permission to read, write, and display your media files. If your folder or file permissions are wrong, the Media Library can go blank.

Open your FTP client (like FileZilla) or your hosting account’s File Manager.
Go to the folder: wp-content/uploads/
Right-click the uploads folder and choose File Permissions.
Make sure permissions are set to:
- Folders: 755
- Files (inside the folders): 644
If they’re incorrect, apply the correct permissions. Make sure to check the box that says “Recurse into subdirectories” and apply the permissions to either directories only or files only, depending on what you’re fixing.

Incorrect permissions may have been caused by a server change, plugin misbehavior, or manual file upload.

2. Deactivate plugins to find conflicts

Plugins often modify how WordPress handles media files. A plugin conflict—especially from a performance, lazy load, or security plugin—can cause your Media Library to stop displaying images.

How to test and fix it

Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
Go to Plugins > Installed Plugins.
Deactivate all plugins.
Visit the Media Library. If your images now appear, a plugin was the problem.
Reactivate plugins one by one. After each activation, check the Media Library again to spot the culprit.

If you can’t access your admin dashboard:

Use an FTP client or File Manager.
Rename the wp-content/plugins/ folder to something like plugins-old to force-disable all plugins.
Check the Media Library.
Rename the folder back and reactivate plugins one at a time.

3. Switch to a default WordPress theme

Your active theme may override media display behavior, especially if it uses custom image sizes or outdated functions.

How to switch themes for testing:

Go to Appearance > Themes in your dashboard.
Activate a default WordPress theme like Twenty Twenty-One or Twenty Twenty-Two
Check the Media Library again.

If your images appear, your theme is causing the issue. You may need to update it or contact the theme developer for help.

You can switch back after confirming the issue, but don’t ignore the root problem if the theme is at fault.

4. Clear your browser and WordPress cache

Caches store versions of your site to make it load faster. But when media paths or file permissions change, cached versions can prevent new images from showing up.

Clear your browser cache

Use Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + R (Mac) to hard refresh the page.
Or go to your browser’s settings > History > Clear Browsing Data.
Make sure “Cached images and files” is selected. Clear the cache.

Clear your WordPress cache

If you use a caching plugin:

Open the plugin (like WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, or NitroPack).
Find the option to Clear Cache or Purge All Caches.
Clear both site cache and browser caching if available.

Also clear your hosting cache if your provider has one.

5. Disable lazy loading temporarily

Lazy loading delays image loading until the user scrolls to them. Some plugins or themes apply lazy load to admin areas, which can break image previews in the Media Library.

How to test lazy loading

Open your lazy load plugin’s settings.
Disable lazy loading or uncheck the option that applies it to the WordPress admin.
Save and refresh the Media Library.

Disable with code (optional)

You can disable lazy loading sitewide with this snippet in your theme’s functions.php file:

add_filter(‘wp_lazy_loading_enabled’, ‘__return_false’);

Only do this for testing. Don’t leave it disabled long term unless it’s the confirmed cause.

6. Regenerate thumbnails

If WordPress can’t find or render the correct image sizes, your media files may show as blank even if the original is fine.

How to fix with a plugin:

Install the Force Regenerate Thumbnails plugin.
Go to Tools > Force Regenerate Thumbnails.
Click Regenerate All Thumbnails.

This forces WordPress to rebuild all registered image sizes, including the preview sizes used in the Media Library.

7. Check your .htaccess file and hotlink settings

Your .htaccess file controls many rules for your site. If it includes incorrect rewrite rules or hotlink protection, images might get blocked from showing—even to you.

How to reset your .htaccess file

Connect via FTP or use File Manager.
Go to your site’s root directory (where wp-config.php lives).
Download a backup of .htaccess before editing.
Replace its contents with the WordPress default:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index\.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

Save the file and refresh your Media Library.

8. Increase your PHP memory limit

If your server doesn’t have enough memory to process images, the Media Library may silently fail to load them.

How to raise the limit

Open your wp-config.php file.
Add this line above the “That’s all, stop editing” comment:
define(‘WP_MEMORY_LIMIT’, ‘256M’);
Save and upload the file.

If that doesn’t work, contact your host and ask them to increase the PHP memory limit on your behalf.

9. Contact your hosting provider

If you’ve tried everything and your images are still blank, it’s time to bring in your hosting support team.

What to ask:

Are there permission or ownership issues on wp-content/uploads/?
Are there security rules or firewalls blocking image files?
Is the server using mod_security or Apache directives affecting media?
Are CDN settings (like Cloudflare or SiteGround CDN) interfering?

A good host can also scan logs, test server performance, or help roll back recent changes.

10. (Bonus) Check for mixed content if using HTTPS

If your site runs over HTTPS but media files try to load over HTTP, browsers will block them for security reasons. This is called a mixed content error.

How to fix it:

Install Really Simple Security.
Activate it and follow the prompts to force HTTPS sitewide.

You can also update your database manually using Better Search Replace to change old http://yourdomain.com URLs to https://yourdomain.com.

Next steps for fixing blank media files in WordPress

A blank Media Library can feel like your site is broken—but it’s usually a simple fix involving permissions, plugins, or caching.

Start with file permissions and plugin deactivation, then move down the list. You’ll get your images back, and your site will be healthier for it.

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